During recent years, the number of different types of databases in active use has been expanding, including recent popularity of databases compatible with the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Other types of databases include large scale relational databases. Unfortunately, each of these types of database tends to have its own protocol for access. A further development is that, with the rapid expansion of the Internet and other types of computer networks, more and more of these databases are becoming available by network. However, due to the wide variety of protocols needed to access these various databases, it is difficult for any single application program to have all of the intelligence needed to handle all of these protocols and thus communicate with most or all of these types of databases.
In this regard, one type of device which has been growing in popularity is the Internet protocol (IP) telephone, which is coupled to and effects its telephony functions through a computer network. It is desirable that client devices such as these telephones be able to access much of the data present in the databases which are now available by network. However, it is not always practical for this class of devices to have the intelligence needed to handle a wide variety of different protocols corresponding to a variety of different databases.